Here I Come

So there aren't to many people back from their Christmas Breaks yet and New Years is literally around the corner, so naturally I have occupied my time with Facebook, books and blogs. I have researched many a blog lately, and I have come to the conclusion that I have been much to reserved in my writings. I need to just tell what is on my mind and not care what the repercussions are. 

( Which is dating for the most part so beware :)

Tomorrow I will post some New Year resolutions because I feel I owe it to the blogging world. It's like when your on Facebook, naturally you must create a group when you are engaged to get everyone's address (no matter how hard you try I've heard the group title before so really...just say it like it is.)

That's right everyone. This new year, there is going to be a whole new me in this blogging world. You're either going to become extremely fed up with my rantings, or realize that I actually do think. alot. contrary to popular belief. About my future, about marriage, about my career, about school, about what matters most in life, about food, about Italy, about fashion, etc etc etc

Oh, and if you don't get my sarcasm, jokes or modi di dire, please just come and ask me.

{Sempre al tuo Servizio}

{Sir Charles III}

The Single Season

Tis the season to be single...
Fa Lalalala la la la la

Yes everyone, it's that time of year again and I'm still single. Before the semester was through, the guys and I were talking about how sucky it is to be alone during the Christmas Season. 

No one to snuggle with
as you drink your hot cocoa. 

No one to care enough for,
the which to buy presents. 

No one to think about,
or dream about while your relaxing.

No one to go with to see
the lights at Temple Square.

Christmas Season sucks its true...
but what of the New Years

I don't know anyone to party with where my parents live so...I can go to Provo, hoping there will be people to hang with but then...

Who. Can. I. Kiss.

So that's it. Every now and again, I love the single life.

Lately...not so much.

Bestest Best Cioccolata Calda (Hot Chocolate) Recipe to Date

Merry Christmas Everyone

 

This was just a very very Merry Christmas. My lovely mother and I went to Winco the other day and bought some chestnuts to roast in the oven, and the ingredients we needed for Italian Style Hot Chocolate. So here is that fantabulous recipe that took me right back to Italy.

Cioccolata Calda (Choh-koh-lah-tah Kahl-dah)

3/8 cup of unsweetened cocoa (we used hersheys)

1/3 cup of flour (fine)

2/3 cup of sugar

2 1/2 cups of milk

Preparazione
Mescolare cacao, farina e zucchero in un pentolino. Aggiungere pian piano il latte mescolando con una frusta per evitare grumi. Mettere sul fuoco a fiamma bassa per far addensare senza smettere di mescolare (a me son serviti circa 15 minuti). Quando si sarà addensato spegnere il fuoco. Se piace ancora più densa continuare a mescolare per altri 5 minuti circa a fuoco spento o comunque fino alla consistenza che più vi piace. Qui a casa piace molto molto densa.
Io la servo nei bicchieri di vetro, con un pizzico di cannella e panna montata. 

  Preparation (not nearly word for word translation)

Mix the chocolate, flour and sugar in a pot. Slowly add the milk, mixing as you go with a whisk so that there are no clumps. Put the pot on a lower heat (not nothing) to thicken, but don't stop mixing. It took me about 20 min total. When its thick enough, turn the oven off (duh). If you want it more dense, keep cookin' it or like I did, add a tsp of flour or so. You just gotta eyeball it. When it looks like its just past the consistency of melted chocolate but before it gets to pudding...you've done it!

We added a bit of vanilla caramel coffee creamer to it and topped it off with whipped cream...It makes 4-5 servings depending on how much you can handle. It is VERY rich and warm so realize you will not be drinking like a MUG full or anything.

Seriously heaven in every bight. Realize, that you eat this more with a spoon then drinking it--much to hot and thick to drink.

Buon Natale

The Snowball Effect

Funniest story of this past month. Okay actually don't get your hopes up but it was oh so very classic. 

I love my dear sweet roommates. Their quirky characteristics and awesome personalities would delight many a fair maiden. I have one roommate in particular that will be central to this lovely tale, we will call him James.

James is a wonderful RM who is very dedicated to his major, video games, and making people laugh. Well, there once was a girl, we will call her Lilly. Lilly and James found each other intriguing :)

James and his roommates would often gather in the living room for rousing deep conversations of Youtube videos, or perhaps watch movies together with the projection screen said James bought. It was in these situations that the love sparks started.

Have you ever witnessed or been subject to the knee-on-the-thigh-hand-holding-hint. Well so had his roommates. James and Lilly had given each other the above mentioned hint several times, at the same time, and all of us roommates knew it. The scenario would be as follows, Lilly and James on the couch watching a movie. One of us roommates sees this and runs to the back room to talk to the other guys about it...what a bunch of girls...

One night, I walked in and Lilly and James were watching a movie on the sheet we bought from DI for the projector. I briskly run to the back and leave the two lovebirds in peace. In run my roommates who all want to talk about the beautiful couple we have in our front room. We all laugh about their conspicuous hands on their respective thighs. Mind you, the vent in my room is shared with that of the front room (where L and J reside). We realize this after laughing and making fun of how awkward they both must feel. So...we take advantage of it and begin singing our personal a capella rendition of "Kiss the Girl" with substitutions to "Hold Her Hand" :) 

Although it was by far one of the best renditions I had ever heard...one of the roommates went to check, and they sadly did not get the memo. We began bribing and egging each other on to go and make the two hold hands. Perhaps through example as we sat right in front of them and held each others hands or maybe by force :) Nobody would do anything so we left the matter at that and began our respective studies in our respective rooms. That is until my very good friend the Yellow Gazelle came over and started the whole conversation again :)

If you are a returned missionary you will probably understand this better. Because of the amount of stress missions put missionaries through, an extremely tight bond is made to the point where if your companion needs you at any time night or day, you're there. We tried to convince each other to force the holy hand matrimony and in the end succeeded with the classic "I'll do it if you do it." All the roommates in the back heard and walked behind us, waiting in the doorway to see if we would do it. 

 

 Unfortunately at that moment, the front room wasn't only limited to the love birds, but a very awkward roommate happened to be standing there? doing what? heaven knows (their are rules to being a roommate, first and foremost is: You do not decide to watch your favorite movie while someone else is on a very exclusive date.) AND a very awkward girl in the ward. Seriously people?!?! you weren't invited so don't invite yourselves.

Needless to say the YG and I sat on either side of Lilly and James and proceeded to grab their hands and force their union. Naturally, James was slightly embarrassed, even enraged at our actions. We all giggled to our rooms and celebrated with high-fives. I did require a bowl of cereal later and when I went out to get it....they were still holding each others hand. 

 

Now, am I sorry for the awkward situation I created...yes. Do I regret my actions ABSOLUTELY NOT. 

OH AND they have not been separated since, AND gratefully YG and I did not need to force a kiss. They got that on their own :) and then some :)

{FINE}

{no person was hurt in the making of this blog}

..the final to end all finals..

This might be a little late but here it goes. BYU had their final exams this last week which is partially why I have not been blogging but I have two really good posts for you that should at least partially make up for it.

So I had 7 finals to take, 3 of which were dance finals (sure laugh whatever...but seriously, you try and get an A on those...nearly impossible..just know no one gets a 95 and 94s are rarely heard of.) I ended up taking one Monday, another Tuesday then the last 5 split between Wednesday and Thursday; not to mention practicing with various partners, studying, and getting enough hours in this week. 

It seemed all but my dance finals were situations that would have either made or broken my grade. Well, needless to say there was one final in particular that was haunting my Facebook and Hulu viewing.  

Italian Literature 340...dum dum duuuuuuuuuum

For this final, we were required to turn in 5 hours of documented research..about 15 pages or so double-spaced...and that was only half of the grade. The final itself was Thursday morning at 7:00am, 6 essay questions three hours. Oh wait there's more, I needed to get a C average on this to get a B- in the class. Why shoot so low you may ask? Well long story short, I had to retake the class after a very difficult Winter Semester (straight A's and an E in the Ital Lit class). Well, I hadn't gone to class all year because of a deal I had worked out with the professor where I just turned in the assignments I was missing (I was also concurrently enrolled in a class that occupied the same block). Let me just tell you that it was not easy turning in assignments..and the new grades (controversially) showed just that. 

So needless to say, I NEEDED this grade. Well, there was a glimmer of hope. The professor emailed a substitute essay response we could go for: memorizing the most famous of Italian sonnets, 

Dante's Tanto Gentile e Tanto Amato...

I think to myself, this is it. I need to get 100% on my research that's 150 points, memorize this sonnet 25 points and do fairly well on every essay and I'm home free; never having to worry about this class again. So the Yellow Gazelle and I memorize this sonnet and quiz each other on it. 

Trying to out perform each other in front of some girls in the ward :)...good times...

My wonderful ballroom partner and I had a lesson in Lindon at 4 (more on that later). I got back around 5:30 and had to study for a final before the testing center closed. I got back around 9:30 that night to about 11 pages of research and a TON of studying for essays on books I hadn't read since February. Needless to say I was up until about 2:00.

I woke up at 5:50 to go and print my paper off at the Library. I figured with hours as late as 2:00am they would surely open at 6:00 instead of 7:00. Well 6:25. Not. Open. 

So.

I go over to the Wilkinson Center to one of the printer kiosks to print off my paper. Luckily those computers and printers are always on...everything is going great...wait a second. I realize that it only printed half of the document. Not happy, the paper had run out and it was locked for authorized employees only to load. I could have gone to my office but someone had recently gotten fired which meant the code had changed on the door, and I would have had to wait until 8:00 for the office assistants to arrive. Ain't. Gonna. Happen.

I'm sure that every building on campus has a printer, but at 6:30 in the morning with the amount of sleep I got, the only thing that came to mind was the JSB, approx 15 min there and back. So off I go, reviewing the poem I had to recite in just less than half and hour. It prints and off I go to study key phrases I had written down for the essay questions. 

Well, everyone sits down at 7:00 and on we go to the recitations: perfect or you were required to write all 6. The first guy goes and he seems to just glide through it. The second girl goes, she's Italian so you could imagine the perfection of her accent and ease she must have had memorizing a few lines. Then it was my turn. I think it was approximately every 2 lines I had to stop and remember what came next. I blame some SERIOUS nerves and the lack of sleep. 

Needless to say I did it. After about 2 and a half hours of essay writing.

Well, I just saw my grade on the exam 94% FREAK YES!!!!

Never. Ever. Have to take that class again.

 {Sir Charles}

Christmas in Italy (Part 3)

It wasn't easy to place my finger on it, but I do think I have discovered the reason I loved Christmas in Italy so much. I can tell you this, it wasn't the presents. I had bought and sent them off weeks before Christmas 

(I think one time there were three or four packages).

There is no question in my mind, that the reason I loved Christmas in Italy so much was because I spent it fully focused on the Savior. As a missionary, Christian holidays were always moments to celebrate. The Spirit of Christ filled the air, people were more hospitable, and more likely to open there doors. Our message of eternal families and the Saviors visitation to the America's 

seemed to appeal to a much more captivated audience.

As missionaries, we only had a few weeks where we could play the Christmas card, so we tried thinking of inventive ways to teach, contact, and get referrals. I think the best part of Christmas started Christmas Eve night, when all the missionaries went to the nearest cathedral to listen to the Midnight Mass. We walked home that evening and began our official celebration with a prayer of thanksgiving. A suggestion from our mission president turned into a tradition that I hope never to stop. Either Christmas Eve night or the following morning before opening presents, I get down on my knees and in solemnity thank my Heavenly Father for the life of His Son Jesus Christ. I try and think of all the reasons i am thankful for Him, the moments when having a testimony has really helped me through a hard time...and I can't say that I don't get a little emotional.

I then give my present. In a way its an early New Years resolution but this one is specific to living more like the Savior. Something I will 'give' Him. Christmas morning we were allowed to sleep in (I think it was technically the only day we could :) but we decided to start with a brief scripture study of Luke 2 that eventually grew to all the scriptures that prophecy of Christ's birth.

We tried to make opening presents just as exciting as it was back home...but it wasn't the same. We mostly laughed at the presents we got from our family: the inside jokes, the fact that we asked for deodorant :)...typical missionary gifts I suppose. After which we went to member's houses and ate just about the best Italian food in. the. world. Spoke with our parents and family of course...and that was it.
I mean it was in Italy so that alone made it memorable. 

But focusing on Christ, as his representative to the Italian people...nothing comes close. 

 

Christmas in Italy (Part 2)

This post is just too big, so here goes some more.

The food in Italy is buonissimo! There is absolutely nothing like it and the
Christmas season is no different is no different. 

Panettone is alright. There sure is a lot of it around. If nothing else, the missionaries always have a year supply of this. Filled with little raisins and fruit, eating this with a little bit of Nutella for breakfast is just fine.

Pandoro is soooo much better :) Yes, it is COVERED in powdered sugar. One of my favorite memories with this was when we bought some Nutella (imagine that) and whipped cream....
okay it was like FAT in every bite...SO AWESOME!!!

Torrone is not that crap you think it is that you buy at Walmart.
It's homemade, you buy it by the kilo, and it is worth it..oh yes.

Caramelle or sweets. Around times of festivals (and Christmas is no exception) the piazzas are filled with carts full of candies. The people who work here are familiar with the missionaries
so it was always fun to stop in and say hello.

Christmas in Italy (Part 1)

Christmas time is magical for so many reasons. I think in general, it's because of the Spirit of Christ that everyone desires to be more loving, more charitable, and more grateful at this time of year. Therefore, at this time more than any other I. Miss. Italy.

I've tried to explain my feelings to others and it is difficult to say the least.
Nevertheless these are a few of the reasons I feel Christmas reminds me of Italy.

My first Christmas I spent in Gorizia,

a small city on the border of Slovenia that most Italians haven't even heard of.

Something I really enjoyed about my Italian Christmases was spending Christmas Eve at Midnight Mass. It was so cool! I had been to mass before but being there on Christmas Eve, choir in the back balcony, the acoustics, the incense, the culture of it all was so so so neat. Its something you've got to experience for yourself and I am so glad our mission president encouraged us to do that.

The following year, I spent most of the month of December in Ferrara/Bologna as well as Milano so here are some memories from those cities as well. Mostly how they decorate the cities.

(ABOVE) This is what the street looked like that we would walk through (or bike through) to our apartment.

(BELOW) We also did some caroling in Bologna

(ABOVE) So my last Christmas was in Milano

(BELOW) Just to give you an idea of how large this Christmas Tree is

Here is something else...seriously, magical...Click HERE
The castle in Milano gets all decorated with Christmas lights and they change the design each year just a bit...but this was the year I saw it...and maybe even the day I saw it..so it has a special place in my heart.

Closet Costume Connoisseur

My daily activities include showering...which I neglected this morning, brushing my teeth...which I...also neglected. So it wasn't a normal morning for me..yaya. Anyways, I do like me some yahoo news. Some unimportant, unconventional, unintentionally newsworthy news. I stream through what they put on their home page and open about a dozen tabs, then sift through them, updating myself on the quirky news.

Well here's one I really liked. Those who know me, know my love for a well executed set design, costume design, and the like. So I saw this and I feel like appreciating it a little bit more. So lets scroll a bit and appreciate food...I mean clothes...well lets just call it art.

Spring Onions

Bananas

Tomatoes

White Radish

Bubblegum

Red Cabbage Corset

Winter Mushroom

Eggplant

Shrimp

Bread

Yes..Bubblegum again

Dear John

Can I just say that the most annoying thing in the world is a girl waiting for her missionary. Seriously, just thinking about it made me run several stories through my head of relationships/missionaries gone bad. Well, this is my two bits for anyone that cares.

1) BOYS should never ask a girl to wait for them when they go on their mission for so many reasons all of which relate indirectly or directly to the fact that missionaries really don't need anything else to occupy their thoughts. According to me, a good missionary barely has enough time to think about himself, let alone a girl he left back home. Missionaries are constantly thinking of ways to contact more people, be closer to the spirit, create long lasting relationships with members, and not get killed whilst tracting the streets. How would they have sufficient amount of time, and emotional stamina to worry about what their girl is doing back home? or if she'll wait?

2) Girls should not wait for their boy to get back off his mission (so many things go wrong here). First, the boy will change! So much so, that he will most likely not marry you when he gets back. I know this may come as a shocker. You are probably used to your friends telling you that you guys are just, "so perfect for each other" or "so in love" or whatever the crap your high school minds think... so just stop it right now. Second, and this irritates me, you are missing out on two wonderful years of dating..especially if you are at BYU. Girls, you are in your prime. NO for heaven's sake, do not think I am saying you should get married when you are 19 or 20 :) I am saying, who are you to limit the Lord in possible future spouses?

 

3) HOW to treat a boy on a mission. WRITE THEM! For heaven's sakes, don't stop writing them, or think that missionaries don't want to hear from you. Girls are often asking me what they should send their missionary. Sure, there are a few staple American junk-food-delicacies that are great to send. But letters are are the best, especially with pictures. And if you really like the boy and you secretly will be waiting for him, this is what you do: Write him, NO GUSHY CRAP, talk about your scripture studies, ask him how his investigators are coming, or what the best part of his week was. Tell him how life is. Fun things you did, or inside jokes. DON'T whatever you do, spray that letter. You'll only make your missionaries companion gag when he smothers the letter all over his pillow.

I hope this is helpful. Honestly I just wrote it so I could get it off my chest. Believe me, the majority of RMs would agree with me. Especially the ones that got Dear Johned. I'm gonna throw an unjustifiable statistic out there and say that out of the people I know, 12% got married to a girl they were writing on their mission (and that might not be the girl that they started with when they left on their mission).

{Sir Charles}

Be Still My Heart

This is my new favorite quote everyone. It kinda makes my day anytime I say it.

Let me show you the ways...well okay...one

I'm about to ask a really really lovely girl to dance and I say in my head, "Be still my heart.."

Or...I have just danced with a really really wonderful girl and I go home and tell my roommates about it. 

And I say, "Be still my heart."

Okay in other news, I have to just explain to you my heart. No no...lets get off of the who am I gonna marry because honestly...lets be serious...enough's enough..and who can honestly handle this :)

I just recently got back from BYU's Christmas Around the World. Initially I had bought the tickets to support some old friends from the team I was on last year, and for the experience as well. It is a very well put together show with great numbers from all around the world: authentic costumes included. Anyways, while I was watching these routines, all I could think of was...I should be out there, I should be on Back-Up. In no time I would have made it to PAC (their tour team). I guess what I am trying to say is, I LOVE performing. It kills me to see people performing and I not apart of it. Especially when I know I can do what they are doing. Oh man it is frustrating to not perform. That is my heart. My passion. For heaven's sake, I choreograph and design sets and costumes in my head whenever I hear a musical or good song.  

I get taken away with watching musicals online, or dance competitions, show choirs, the lot....anyways. 

{Sir Charles}

Why Blog?

It's so bad. I have this paper I should be writing right now and my week is not getting any less busy. Tomorrow I help the students in the class I TA for with their medal exams...hope to remember the routine + routine + routine. Tomorrow night I have a little performance for the social dance lab + restarting to practice with partners in preparation for Nationals in March. Thursday helping a friend out, up in Aspen Grove, then off to see Tangled and what all the hubbub is about. Friday..well, I'm sure there was something, oh yes I have ballroom lessons in Lindon...and nope..no dates. Saturday donating plasma and another performance in Orem with the team. 

 So why am I blogging, well I'm not sure why anyone blogs. What makes us feel like our lives are so important to publish? Acting as if something important happens in our ordinary lives. Promulgating the mundane into an unrealistic reality...and yes I just used that word correctly. We all wish our lives were as interesting as those blogs and secretly we hope that people will understand us better through them. 

Okay you wanna know something that always crosses my mind. Who are we? I don't mean Sunday school answers because I've known that since forever. I mean, are we the person we portray to our friends and co-workers? Or how about those moments of reflection when no one is around to vent to? When we toss theories of life around in our heads. How superficial are we? How emo are we?

Procrastination is blogging.

 

{Sir Charles}

...grateful for stupid people...

I'm trying to think positively, and the conclusion I came to was not

"Can some people just grow up" 

or 

"Wow, I thought they didn't let your kind into BYU"

or even 

"Seriously? Acting dumb and smart-alecky was cool in high school."

Instead I thought, I'm grateful for stupid people :)

{Sir Charles}

I'm Mr. Lonely...

This is not meant to be a "woe-as-me" post, but I talk to my roommates about this all the time. Absolutely no one should take offense to this post, I do not mean to offend anyone....oh what the h...here it goes.

So I used to go out on a lot of dates. yep..not any more. That's all. And it's a bit irritating. Okay, so we can absolutely blame this on me, after all it is the man's fault. Let's be honest. But this is my blog: I can have bad grammar if I want, I can spell words as I please, I can certainly act like things are not my fault if I want :)

So, I stopped dating a really wonderful girl because it had gotten to the point where BIG decisions needed to be made. We collectively didn't feel like that was the way we wanted to go. The best part of that end was that we didn't call it a break-up. I hate some of the grammatics and wording we use so loosely: break-up, girlfriend, boyfriend...DTR. Well we called it "taking a break" all though we both knew that we were ending. But we have remained great friends, we still care about each others' lives, family.. its the best way any relationship could end.

I started dating shortly after and it was a TON of fun. Only problem, every girl I was dating had a boyfriend. Not my problem if they were flirting with me. Seriously though, it was slightly odd. I would go home, be grilled by my roommates and the conversation would end with, "but she has a boyfriend" or "she's trying to get back with a boyfriend." I don't know why it was like that,...well. I do. Ask any normal guy and he will tell you, the hard-to-get-girl is always more desirable. And, I can't help it if they flirt with me.

Well, I started to get sick of the whole situation. I didn't feel like I wanted to date any of the girls I was hanging out with, predominately because I wouldn't want my girlfriend flirting with other guys. So...I stopped hanging with all those girls and took time to figure myself out.

 

Well the conclusion I came to is: I'm just not mature enough for it. Honestly, I think I have decided that I'm okay with not being engaged like every other guy out there. I have a lot of things I'm working on in my personal life and there is not time like the present to set new goals and higher standards (for myself).

{Sir Charles}

$elling my $ody for $oney

Well folks, it has come to this. I work at an AMAZING office where I help students with disabilities find volunteers. My official title is University Accessibility Center Volunteer Coordinator...try fitting that on a tag :) Well, I have pretty much the best job in the world: great pay, great hours, great people...BUT I just don't have enough extra money. I have wonderful parents who cover my insurance and cell phone bills but I get the joy of paying for (or getting loans for) my tuition, rent, car payments, gas, groceries, $allroom, dates, etc. 

So....

I need more money. Nuff said. I figure I need some extra way to put money aside for one of two things

 

Yes that's right. I figured out that if I put away $75 bucks per month for the next 3 years, I will have enough for myself and my wife to fly to Rome for the temple dedication. Just fly...not eat, or sleep or have fun :) So a master plan was hatched...I would donate plasma twice a week and not even touch that money ever ever. I started last Saturday and will proceed again on Tuesday...and so it begins....

{Sir Charles}